SportsLine's Mike McClure, a DFS pro with almost $2 million in career winnings, gives optimal lineup advice.

by
CBS Sports Staff

Jan 19, 2019
• 2 min read

The 2018-19 NHL season rolls on with a nine-game main slate for DFS on Saturday beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET. That includes an original six showdown between the Rangers and Bruins and what should be an extremely intriguing matchup between the Penguins and Golden Knights. As you fill out your NHL DFS lineups on FanDuel and DraftKings, you'll be looking for value up and down the price sheet. Which is why you'll want to check out the NHL DFS picks from DFS millionaire Mike McClure before locking in your selections.

McClure is a DFS professional with nearly $2 million in career winnings. He's also a predictive data engineer at SportsLine who uses a powerful prediction model that simulates every minute of every game 10,000 times, taking factors like matchups, statistical trends and injuries into account. This allows him to find the best NHL DFS values and create optimal lineups that he shares only over at SportsLine. They're a must-see for any NHL DFS player.

McClure recommended Flames defenseman Mark Giordano for $6,600 on FanDuel on Friday. The result? He scored a goal and put three shots on net against the Red Wings -- returning nearly 22 points and over 3x value for owners.

For Saturday's slate, McClure is banking on Panthers center Vincent Trocheck at $3,000 on FanDuel and $5,000 on DraftKings.

Trocheck returned on Friday night after missing nearly two months with a broken ankle and provided a helper against the Maple Leafs. Before the injury, he was consistently priced in the mid-6000s on FanDuel and the high-5000s on DraftKings, so there's an opportunity to take advantage of his talent at this lower price point.

The Panthers middle man had 14 points in 18 games prior to the injury and put up 75 points last season. On Friday, he played over 18 minutes so there doesn't appear to be any lingering concern about the ankle. So get him into your NHL DFS lineups and take advantage before his price shoots back up.

McClure is also high on Lightning center Brayden Point ($8,000 on FanDuel, $7,600 on DraftKings), who became the first player to reach 30 goals and 30 assists in the 2018-19 season on Thursday.

Point continues to play sensational hockey in a contract year. He's been particularly devastating on the power play, where he leads the NHL with 13 goals.

On Saturday, Point and the Lightning will face a Sharks squad that is coming off their first loss since the calendar turned to 2019. However, in that loss, they did give up six goals to the Coyotes, so there could be something in the film that the league-leading Lightning can exploit in this potential Stanley Cup preview.

McClure is also targeting an undervalued player who is set to go off for big numbers because of a dream matchup, and he comes at a price that will leave plenty of salary cap flexibility. Picks like these could be the difference between winning your cash games and tournaments or going home with nothing.